VPNs can be free or you can pay for the service. They help you get on the Internet and assign you a different IP address, but there’s a wide range of reliability in providers.

There are many more advantages to using a personal VPN service over a proxy (usability, security, access to blocked sites).

The easy way

Use Free Wi-Fi Outside of Your Home. An IP address doesn’t travel with you. So if you simply go to a coffee shop, bookstore or hotel lobby and tap into their Wi-Fi, you will temporarily hide your usual IP address. How so? You’ll be using their network’s IP address for as long as you’re online.

Try it out. First, check your IP address on WhatIsMyIPAddress.com, and then visit any place with free Wi-Fi, log in to their Internet and check it again.

However, if you don’t use a VPN (read below), your Internet activity is at risk of being spied on or intercepted by a bad guy without your knowing it. How likely is that? Who knows! But don’t make online purchases or check your bank account while drinking your Grande Espresso.